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(02-22-2017, 07:28 PM)Beej Wrote: Those of us with an inflammatory arthritis (and even osteoarthritis has some inflammation), might try some of the anti-inflammatory foods and spices to see if they help over time.
Some of the ones identified are
- sour cherry
- tumeric or curcumin (and extract)
- ginger
There are more.

Interesting to see you mention tumeric. I just order my first bottle earlier this week after a recommendation from a friend. Have been on a prescription of 600mg naproxen twice a day to help with arthritis and hate what it's doing to my stomach and side effects like swelling in my feet. Have read a lot of good things about using tumeric for arthritis plus it has many other benefits for other conditions. My wife just asked her PA about it yesterday and she even said give it a try and like folks are saying here, why not?

That is interesting that your friend recommended it to you and that your wife's PA also gave the 'go-ahead' for it. I wonder if there is a recommended amount or if it is one of those things where each person's requirements are different? Do let us know how it goes for you or whether it makes a difference?

GrammaBear, will do. From what I have read you typically start out taking 2-3 capsules per day and always just one at a time with food (it can be hard on the stomach otherwise). Eventually you drop down to just one per day. Apparently it needs to build up in your system. People have reported marked results in as little as a couple days. I hope it works.

Remember that curcumin is the active ingredient of turmeric. So the question that I spent considerable time researching is why take turmeric, or as many manufacturers recommend take both? As I mentioned, I researched this weird recommendation for a lot of hours and the conclusion that I came to was just take curcumin since it is why you are taking turmeric in the first place. However, you will find mixed, to say the least, recommendations on this subject.

The problem with taking curcumin is that it is very poorly absorbed by the human body. Curcumin supplement manufacturers (the good ones) have a variety of methods to try to increase the absorption rate, for example; adding black pepper. Even then it is a crap shoot how much to take and when (usually throughout the day). Dr. Mercola's (I know some people do not like him, I don't care) curcumin product is the only one that I have found that is in an extended release form, which would seem to be the best IMO.

If you are really interested in taking supplements of any kind, the best site on the web that I have found is [commercial link work-around removed-- instead, search Google for the "examine nutrition"] Having added that caveat, Examine does not sell supplements of any kind and never even mentions brand names. They do sell a few books that IMO are mainly written for doctors. For each supplement that they write about they provide exhaustive data that has been proven, disproven, and provide links to actual studies when available. An excellent reference site!

Lookup curcumin on Examine, you will find considerable information.

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You've sparked my interest in Turmeric. I have two questions; First, How long does it take to get into your system and provide results? Second, How many milligrams is considered an effective dose strength?

(02-23-2017, 03:53 PM)Crimson Nape Wrote: You've sparked my interest in Turmeric. I have two questions; First, How long does it take to get into your system and provide results? Second, How many milligrams is considered an effective dose strength?

Those are the million dollar questions. First go with curcumin not turmeric IMO. As for your questions, there are no standard answers that I know of. Remember that supplements are kind of a try it and find out type of thing. There are so many brands of either of these and all will have there own suggested dosages. I have tried both, and several brands of each with no luck. You just have to pick one and give it a try. Another popular brand BTW is Terry's Natural. They are expensive, in fact all the better brands that I have seen, or tried, are much more expensive than OTC drugs or Rx drugs with insurance. The advantage are no known side effects except for me LOL.

In the meantime, find a sleep position that does work for you. It may be a combination of things that you use depending on the night or pain location.

How old is your mattress? Consider investing in a new one if it has been more than 5yrs unless it is a Tempurpedic.

Do you use a body pillow? I like the feather ones as they seem to hold the shape better. I use it between my knees and support for my arms when I am on my side.

What about your head pillow? How long have you had it? Consider getting a new one of those. If the pain is neck/upper back, that's the first thing I suggest you change. I use a buckwheat hull pillow as I can mold it. The other side is millet but I'm not fond of it.

I use a bunch of pillows when it is a "bad" night. If I am on my back:
- an old body pillow is put into a C shape with the hump of the C against the headboard
- I put another regular pillow with the short edge at the hump of the C so it extends down. Sometimes I will have another smaller pillow underneath it at the top.
- My head and upper back go into that C.
- Under each shoulder to elbow are folded towels to give them extra support
- Under my knees is my usual body pillow and probably my husk pillow. I used to have a wedge pillow there but it often put my legs to sleep.

I'd love to have an adjustable bed!!

Yes, my AHI goes up on nights I sleep on my back but not as high as I thought it would.

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INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.